In August 2015, a little pink pill designed to boost women's sex drives was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The next day, Whitehead sold the company behind the drug to a pharma giant for $1 billion. That's when everything fell apart.

The buyer, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, became embroiled in scandal forjacking up the prices on some of its drugs. It doubled the cost of Addyi, the libido pill, which some say is the reason it never found its footing in the market. Whitehead stepped down as CEO in 2015.

In an interview with Business Insider, Whitehead said she's since turned her focus to helping female founders make breakthroughs of their own. The Pinkubator, which opens February 1, is a startup incubator based in Raleigh, North Carolina, where entrepreneurs will launch new products and companies under the guidance of Whitehead and handpicked mentors.

The Pinkubator is no ordinary startup accelerator.

For starters, it was built with the money Whitehead made from selling her last startup, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which was responsible for the "female Viagra."

Tyler Confrey-Maloney

In 2016, she opened the doors to The Pink Ceiling, a hybrid of a venture capital firm and consulting enterprise. The Pinkubator spun out of that endeavor.

Whitehead hopes to leverage her own experience to help female founders find success.

"Being in this position, the best way to pay it forward is to say 'I stepped on that mine. Step left,'" Whitehead told Business Insider in October. "You've been there. You've done that. And hopefully they're advantaged by your own experiences — successes and failures."

Whitehead describes the Pinkubator as a membership service for women-led or women-focused businesses, which means men can join if their startups are relevant to women's needs.

Tyler Confrey-Maloney

Entrepreneurs can join for $500 a month, or $99 for access to mentorship, networking events, and special pricing on brand-building services, without the office space.

The office is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is part of the "Research Triangle," a region that's dense in top universities and research facilities.

Tyler Confrey-Maloney

The workplace is decorated in black, white, and hot pink — Whitehead's signature color. The hashtag #unapologeticallypink is scrawled across one wall.

Tyler Confrey-Maloney

Members can take meetings in one of several conference rooms.

Tyler Confrey-Maloney

Everyone gets their own locker.

Tyler Confrey-Maloney

There's rosé wine on tap, though we couldn't find a photo to prove it.

Tyler Confrey-Maloney

Members will eat lunch together at a custom-designed glass table, an homage to the glass ceiling that so often bars women and minorities from climbing the corporate ladder.

Tyler Confrey-Maloney

Members are also entitled to pitch Whitehead for funding. Her exit money from the Sprout deal allows her to invest in the Pinkubator's portfolio companies when appropriate, she said.

Tyler Confrey-Maloney

"In my case, I'm a geek. I like the geeks," Whitehead said. "And I'd like to see more women in those [executive] roles, particularly in STEM" — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.